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No. 402,662. Patented May 7, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

OWEN DONNELLY AND OOTTER T. BRIDE, -OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

METHOD4 OF CLEANING PIPE SEWERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,662, dated May ,'7, 1889.

Application iled January 22, 1889. Serial No. 297,136. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that we, OWEN DONNELLY and COTTER T. BRIDE, citizens of the United States, residing at Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Method of Cleaning Pipe Sewers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled 1o in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in method of cleaning sewers and conduits, substantially as will hereinafter be more particularly described. or

pointed out.

In many instances heretofore, when it has been desirable to clean or clear .the passages of pipe sewers by the use of any of the varizo ous apparatus in use for the purpose, it has frequently been found difficult and in many instances practically impossible to obtain a passage-way for the draw cable or rod, and in such instances where the same has been 2 5 accomplished or effected it has only been after the expenditure of considerable manual labor coupled with great expense and considerable loss of time.

The object of our invention is to supply a 3o simple method of cleaning pipe sewers or conduits in a very quick and effective manner, as will be hereinafter more fully understood when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate suitable 3 5 mechanism for carrying theisame into cifect,

and wherein Figure l represents a sectional view of a part of a pipe-sewer system and indicatingthe practice of one step of our improved 4o method, and Fig. 2 is. a similar view representing the manner in which the second step of our improved method is practiced. Fig. 3 is a View in perspective of the form of cleaning device preferably employed by us, and

p5 Fig. 4 is also a perspective view of another device preferably employed.

In the practice of our invention we start or begin at any man-hole of the sewer system, and take what we term or style a starting 5o implement or tool for creating an opening through the clogged interior of .the section started with, and trailing along with it a rope, chain, or cable. This starter is forced or propelled forward by power apparatus located above or at the top of the man-hole until it has been projected in a distance about equal to its own length. After this another length or piece is attached or screwed to the outer end of the iirst length or piece, and the same operation of forcing or projecting them into 6o the sewer is repeated. Additional lengths are added one after the other, and the forcing or propelling of them along, into, and through the accumulations of the sewer contin ued until the innermost section has reached the next adjacent man-hole, whereupon the sections are pulled through length for length and separated or disconnected from each other.

During the progress of the above-described step of the operation it will be understood 7oI that a rope or cable is trailed through the sewer as the starter is projected along, and when the man-hole adjacent to the one started from is reached the end of such rope or cable is attached to the propelling apparatus located above, (which apparatus, it will be understood, has been moved to this second manhole,) and by operating the same it is made to draw or pull through the sewer a suitable cleaning apparatus attached to the opposite 8o end of said rope or cable, and thus will the cleaner be drawn through from the first manhole to the second. The same operation is repeated with the several sewer-sections until the entire system has been worked or cleaned.

As further explanatory of our improved method and the manner herein described of practicing the same, we would say that we use the same apparatus for drawing the cleaning device through that we employ for propelling 9o or projecting the starter through, the said apparatus in the one instance being a draftpower and in the other a propelling-power, the difference in its action being due to the change made in its location from the man-hole at which the starter is introduced to the one from which it is taken for the purpose of drawing the cleaning device through.

As one means of practicing our improved 4 method, we resort preferably to the use of such roo to an end of the cord ZJ that is trailed through the sewer, and to the other end of which the cleaning device A is afterward attached for the purpose of being drawn through the sewer to cut up the accumulations thereof and drag the same along, so as to be readily removed or taken out at the several man-holes.

o represents the remaining sections of said starter.

The cleaning device A is constructed substantially as herein. shown and as described in our other application referred to.

In the practice of this our present vinvention we also make use of the platform E at the bottom of the manholes, and which is shown in Fig. 4. This platform also is constructed Vas herein shown, and more `particularly described in our other application, and need not herein be more particularly described or referred to, except by saying that its .pulley serves to guide the cable fn, employed to propel or project the starter, as well also as starter and rep eating the forcing of them into the sewer mechanically, as before, and finally attaching to the .rear end of said draft cable or rope a suitable cleaning device and drawing the same through the sewer, substantially in -the manner and for the Vpurpose set forth. In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in Vpresence of 4two witnesses.

OWEN DONNELLY. CUTTER T. ERIDE.

VVitnesses:

E. EvnRE'rr ELLis, CURrrs LAMMoNn. 

